Tennis player benefits Lacoste, Oakley, Rado

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Sports gear and fashion brands worn by Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon during this year’s Australian Open are enjoying huge popularity after he became the first Asian player to reach the semifinals of one of the four Grand Slam tennis events.

According to the nation’s department stores, inquiries continue to rise about Lacoste T-shirts, Oakley glasses and Rado watches.

Lotte Department Store said its store in downtown Seoul, and other branches across the country have been flooded with inquiries about Lacoste T-shirts.

“Chung is wearing a short sleeve shirt during the Australian Open. The one he is wearing is not for sale since it is now winter in Korea,” a Lotte official said.

“Considering its surging popularity, we’ve decided to import the T-shirt. The item will shortly be sold at our stores.”

The French fashion brand is endorsing Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic, who was also Chung’s opponent in the round of 16, as an advertisement model in Korea, but the nation’s department stores said they will change to Chung soon.

Chung fever also struck accessories brands Oakley and Rado.

Chung wore the Oakley FLAK Beta in his round of 16 match and in the quarterfinals, and its stores are also enjoying a rising number of visitors.

“Oakley customers usually look for ski or snowboard goggles during the winter season, but a number of customers have asked for sports glasses since Chung beat Djokovic in the round of 16,” an Oakley store clerk said at Shinsegae Department Store’s Gangnam branch.

The Oakley FLAK Beta sports “goggles” were released last year, and Chung has worn them since December.

Swiss-made luxury watch brand Rado also struggles to deal with inquiries as Chung showed up at the postgame press conference wearing the Rado HyperChrome Cook 45mm after the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

Rado has sponsored Chung since he was named to the company’s talent program in 2015, and the watch is priced at 2.86 million won ($2,696) in Korea.

Chung’s popularity has also increased sales at online sporting goods stores.

According to the nation’s largest online store Auction, sales of tennis rackets and shoes grew 34 percent and 6 percent, respectively, between Jan. 15 and 21 from the previous year.

Another online giant 11st said sales of tennis related goods soared by 22 percent during the period.